Sicily · Ragusa
Ragusa
Two cities on a Hyblean plateau at 502 meters, both rebuilt after 1693 and both UNESCO Baroque.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Ragusa is on our list
It holds UNESCO, Bandiera Blu and Spighe Verdi.
Subscribe and you get Ragusa's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- By car
- 1 h 47 min from Catania
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 73,878
- J12°
- F14°
- M14°
- A18°
- M23°
- J29°
- J33°
- A31°
- S27°
- O23°
- N18°
- D14°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
The town sits on a Hyblean plateau at 502 meters, sixty kilometers southwest of Siracusa, on a ridge cut by two deep ravines. The 1693 earthquake killed five thousand of its eleven thousand residents and erased the medieval town that stood there. What followed split the place in two. One faction rebuilt on the old site and kept the ancient name attached to the lower town; the other built a new orthogonal grid on the higher ridge to the west and became Ragusa Superiore. Both halves were inscribed together in 2002 as part of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto.
The two cathedrals face each other across the divide, one anchoring each half, evidence that the split was never resolved so much as built into stone twice over. What the earthquake broke, the rebuilding fixed into a permanent argument between two street plans on the same ridge: one curled and medieval in outline, the other laid out square.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 1 h 46 min by car.
By car from the center of Palermo 3 h 46 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Siracusa? Ragusa is about 1 h 29 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Catania airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Duomo di San Giorgio
Built 1739-1775, three-tier convex façade above a wide staircase that formed the opening shot of the Montalbano titles.
Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista
Eighteenth-century Baroque cathedral on the principal piazza of Ragusa Superiore, balancing the other cathedral in Ragusa Ibla.
Valle dei Ponti
Deep ravine south of the historic center of Ragusa Superiore, crossed by bridges including the 1843 Ponte dei Cappuccini and the modern Ponte Nuovo.
Ragusa Ibla
Sixty-something churches and palaces compressed onto a single rocky spur, streets that curl around the old medieval footprint rather than a grid.
Giardino Ibleo
Public garden at the eastern tip of Ibla, terraced over the valley with three church ruins and panoramic views across the Hyblean foothills.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
DuomoRistorante
Three Gambero Rosso forks (93/100) for Duomo, along with a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a La Liste score of 94.
I BanchiBistrot
I Banchi has two Gambero Rosso tables and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Locanda Don SerafinoRistorante
Locanda Don Serafino carries two Gambero Rosso forks (88/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
9 more places the guides name in Ragusa
Cucina e VinoRistorante
A Slow Food snail, at Cucina e Vino.
MonsùRistorante
Monsù carries a Gambero Rosso listing.
Scale del GustoRistorante
Scale del Gusto holds one Gambero Rosso fork (78/100).
Taberna dei Cinque SensiRistorante
Taberna dei Cinque Sensi carries one Gambero Rosso fork (77/100).
Trattoria al Castello DonnafugataTrattoria
One Gambero Rosso prawn, at Trattoria al Castello Donnafugata.
Vossia Il MareRistorante
Vossia Il Mare holds one Gambero Rosso fork (77/100).
VotavotaRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100), at Votavota.
Eremo della GiubilianaHotel
Eremo della Giubiliana has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.
Relais ChiaramonteHotel
Relais Chiaramonte has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Signature product
Ragusano DOP
Stretched-curd Sicilian cheese, ripened in parallelepiped blocks suspended by rope; an artisan tradition from the Hyblaean plateau.
See the towns we cover in the zone of Ragusano DOP.
Living here
Could you live here?
Ragusa is a city.
- A city of 73,878 people, and a provincial capital: the services are here, not a drive away.
- A station of its own, so the rest of Italy is a train ride away.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 73,878, up 2.2% since 2015
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €430 to €620 per m² to buy, €3.40 to €4.40 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- A local hub
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 98% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Comiso airport (CIY), 31 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Palermo, 3 h 46 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
10% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Tunisia and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 126 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United Kingdom. There are 200 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 37% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Ragusa province ranks 82nd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Catania, 63 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 181 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.96% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.6% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sicily spends about €1,820 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €524 a year for water, on the Sicily average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
TWO CITIES, ONE UNESCO
Ragusa Superiore and its lower twin rebuilt separately after the 1693 earthquake, inscribed together on the UNESCO list of Val di Noto Baroque towns in 2002.
GAGLIARDI'S DUOMO
Rosario Gagliardi's San Giorgio, dome forty-three meters high on sixteen Corinthian columns, the canonical image of the Sicilian Baroque.
MONTALBANO'S VIGÀTA
The lower town doubles as the fictional Vigàta in the Inspector Montalbano television series, broadcast on RAI since 1999.
RAGUSANO
The commune lies inside the Ragusano DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Ragusa known for?
- Two cities on a Hyblean plateau at 502 meters, both rebuilt after 1693 and both UNESCO Baroque.
- Where is Ragusa?
- Ragusa is a comune in the province of Ragusa, in Sicily.
- What is the nearest airport to Ragusa?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Comiso (CIY), about 31 min by car.
- Can you get to Ragusa without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Ragusa?
- About 3 h 46 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Ragusa?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Ragusa?
- Modica, Monreale and Corleone.
- How many people live in Ragusa?
- 73,878 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Ragusa a good place to live?
- Ragusa is a city of 73,878 people, the kind of place Part 3 of our Where to Move in Italy series is about. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 98% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 502 m
- Population: 73,878
- Surface area: 444.67 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Ragusa appears in
- The 6 best hill towns with a serious restaurant in SicilySicilyhill townserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 7,926 residents
- The 6 best towns worth staying overnight that hold a World Heritage site in SicilySicilyworth staying overnightWorld Heritage6 towns · smallest 12,766 residents
- The best cheese towns within two hours of CataniaNear Cataniawithin 2 hourscheese zone6 towns · smallest 3,988 residents · closest 68 min away
- The 7 best towns you can reach by train that are worth a night in SicilySicilyby trainworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 10,480 residents
- The best hill towns with a World Heritage site in SicilySicilyhill townWorld Heritage7 towns · smallest 7,980 residents
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of SiracusaNear Siracusahill townwithin 90 min7 towns · smallest 2,235 residents · closest 39 min away
Featured on
Ragusa appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Ragusa
What all six share with Ragusa: over 10,000 people
Modica
Province: Ragusa
both inland in Sicily · both hill towns
Monreale
Province: Palermo
both inland in Sicily · both hill towns
Corleone
Province: Palermo
both inland in Sicily · both hill towns
Caltagirone
Province: Catania
both inland in Sicily · both have a railway station in the comune
- Written about. No. 66.
Viterbo
Province: Viterbo
both hill towns · both have a railway station in the comune
Rieti
Province: Rieti
both hill towns · both have a railway station in the comune
The letter
Ragusa is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Ragusa comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Cerveteri, 608 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.